Knott's Scary Farm 2001
If you live in Southern California, or even if you'll be visiting for a few days in October, Knott's Scary Farm is the best theme park for the season to visit. My only problem with it is that it's VERY crowded, and there are some areas (though I noticed some improvement with regards to this subject this year) that Knott's could do better with more crowd control. This year, I opted to go with a hotel package that they are offering, and I made sure not to go during the dreaded last two weeks of the month. They might as well just admit that they do sell out during that time because the crowds are massive--making the wait for mazes, rides, and other attractions just about unbearable. What's unbearable in my almost-humble opinion? Weeelllll, waiting for an hour and a half in an extremely crowded line that is not being guarded by Knott's staff and thus invaded by line-cutters for a maze that is good but lasts only 3 minutes, for example. I'm proud to say that the longest wait was 30-45 minutes for one maze--all of the other mazes were running much faster and were around the 15-20 minute mark.
But enough negativity! I'm writing this review of my experience at Knott's famous haunt so that I can tell anyone interested about all of the cool stuff out this year, and maybe if you're going--to steer you clear of areas that border on a waste of your time. Check out the pictures of this year's map and show schedule to see what's going on.
I was able to go on all but two of the 10 mazes that are offered for 2001. "Malice in Wunderland" (a new one) and "The Carnival of Carnivorous Clowns" (returning for it's second year) were the two 3-D mazes this year. If you don't get the souvenir $1 3-D glasses, you are missing out--the effects are pretty darn cool with them. We were able to get a nice picture of a rabid white rabbit (see above) and all of the characters from Alice in Wonderland were represented, all in a gruesomely humorous light. The Carnivorous Clowns were back in fine style though their maze's location was moved for 2001. Because the maze wasn't in the same spot, they were able to change a few things here and there to keep it fresh and new. One of my favorite parts featured a small area where a terror-able teddy bear wanted to give me a kiss--very disturbing! ;) Both of these mazes are not to be missed, really.
"Blood Bayou" (new for this year) was the first one that we went on, and a surprisingly good maze! It's located right near Bigfoot Rapids, and I even thought we'd be getting wet, but not to fear, we did not. The theme of Blood Bayou all of the images associated with "voodoo zombies" and "cannibalistic inbreeds" made this one a new favorite of mine that I hope returns next year. I don't want to say too much about it, spoiling it for those on their way to the park... I loved the music for this one (would love to have it for my own little haunt), and the female characters' costumes.
"The Crypt Keeper Presents: 'Horrorwood Fright Festival'" was back (after how many years, I've lost count?). The largest problem with this one is that it's nearly exactly the same as the last two years I've seen it. Knott's could invest in a few new/replacement props to make this one as much fun as it was two years ago. My favorite part of this one the first year I saw it was walking through an area set up to look like a movie theater with rows and rows of individual "screams" sitting in masks with a few live ones thrown in to jump out and startle patrons distracted by the film-projector light over the exit doorway. I felt like something was off with the lighting in that room this year, and there were non-monster staff members hanging out in the seats when I went through it. It's not a bad maze, particularly if you've never been through it before, but some tidying up might be useful.
"The Curse of Spider Woods"--totally skip this one! It's lame, lame, lame. It's not a maze in the usual sense. It was a poor attempt to put in a little story-telling (which I like, Disney's Haunted Mansion has a little), but it's entirely too short. They herd in one group/room full of patrons into two rooms that try to convey the story of the curse of the spiders, and then the blasted thing is over! Two rooms! Next to no "visible" spiders. If they had attached a maze or more rooms, I could see this one being a really great crowd pleaser--instead this one falters and leave patrons walking out saying, "Was that it?" I love Knott's Scary Farm, but this was not doing it for me.
"Alien Attack" (second or third year?) was beefed up this year. It was sorta mild last year and didn't attract much attention, but this year, I would suggest scary-farm goers not miss this one. There was more to look at, and I was impressed. Even if Alien scares aren't your thing, it's a great maze, and the line was nicely guarded and fast moving.
"The Underground" (third year running or more) is just a scary in it's post-nucleur theme as ever. I love the variety of scenes that this maze offers and the first scene is really cool. Very lively monsters, warlords, and mutant zombies. The go-go dancers could have been a bit more...active. It's worth the wait. A very "modern" haunt. :)
"Lore of the Vampire" (new for 2001) was the longest line that we waited in, and the last maze that we went through. Unfortunately, I feel that my review of the maze is partially shaded by the fact that Knott's wasn't doing their job with crowd control for this one. Should staff members been there initially to direct the patrons, the line would have moved more quickly and not gotten "clogged" in a weird wrap around that made the front of the entrance completely invisible when waiting in line (making it feel more like eternity). As mazes go, this one with an all vamire theme, is pretty awesome. The make-up for the vamps was plenty realistic--quite an attention to detail. Could have been a little bit longer, could have skipped the shaky/wobbly bridges, but really good overall. If you go, try to hit this one early, if not first because of the long wait. Just my suggestion! The photo of the gargoyle above is in front of the entrace of Lore of the Vampire. He was HUGE! I wished I could take him home... Le Sigh!
Photos above, left to right: 1. Monster from one of the scare zones, "Ghost Town" I think -- 2. Gargoyle from the entrance of "Lore of the Vampire" -- 3. The Rabid White Rabbit from "Malice in Wunderland"
